Sixteen
by Heidioo
Summary: There was a prophesy foretold about Sixteen riders who would rise from the darkness. This is ten thousand years after the events of the Inheritance Cycle. More inside.
1. Summary

"Sixteen will rise. Sixteen will come from the deep. Sixteen will save the land from death, and rise to help the people. First will fall the strong. Then the weak will die. After night has fallen, the old one will emerge. When she does, the Sixteen will know that it is time to hatch. Blue will lead the way to life and train the Sixteen for duty, while her daughter hides. And battle will be avoided, else all the land should fight and die." Read on to see this prophesy play out.


	2. Author's Note

In the Eragon series, Eragon is the beginning of the second "Generation" of riders. Thinking about that, I wondered what would happen if something caused Eragon's generation of riders to die. I decided to make a large group of riders this time, somehow allowing for a lot of eggs to be available to hatch.

A few days of writing later, I thought of an idea to make some sort of prophesy that they fulfill, making sure that it was vague enough to allow for mystery about the ending.

I would appreciate it if anyone who reads my story could review, even if all they say is their rating for each chapter I put up, on a scale of 1-10, 1 being terrible, 10 being incredible. I don't mind if you say a super low rating, but if you do please say why. Thanks.

I know this rant is annoying, but I just wanted to get out there and say it here, and I won't put any pleads for reviews in any of my other chapters. I will post my first chapter in a little while, I just need to polish it a bit. I hope you like my story.

Another note. There is a SYOD&R (Submit your own Dragon and Rider) coming before the first story chapter, if you want to you can help me with who my characters are for the story.

Thanks for reading,

Heidioo =:)


	3. Chapter 1, The Hatching

"The dragon war. That's what I called it. I and my partner-of-heart-and-mind. Eragon. He was my rider, but not anymore. Not now that I cannot be ridden. As a Eldunari, I have no body, no eyes, no magnificent scales. I am trapped.

"I did not get this way by choice, but the Werecat Dathdar told Eragon and I that I had to disgorge my Eldunari, else the Rider's legend would die forever. I followed his advice, and am glad I did. A week later, a horrible plague ravaged the dragons, killing all of us, except those who were in Eldunari. Our bodies died, but our minds stayed in out Eldunari. Our riders died as well. I was lonely, but I could do nothing. All I could do is sit in my bag under Eragon's deathbed and wait.

"A hundred years passed before anyone came to find me... What was that Herg ?... They want to hear more about the dragon war? The beginning of my rant, yes. I forgot, I am sorry. Back to that now.

"The dragon war was what Eragon and I called the conflict between he and I, and the tyrant rider king of Alegasia, Galbatorix, and his dragon, Shruikan. We killed the tyrant in the end, with the help of his former servants, Murtagh and Thorn. Thorn's Eldunari is among the found, with Firnen and all the alcoves your dragons eggs used to be in. All that happened over ten thousand years ago. May I return to my other story? ... Thank you.

"Those hundred years were some of the lonliest I have ever had to experience. But when the man standing beside my Eldunari right now, Herg, found me, I told him where to go to find more of myself. The other Eldunari and the Eggs were found, and all of the humans, urgals, and dwarves above five years, and elves above thirty years were called to gather in the great stadium in Iliria.

"Now you are all here. You will all pass before the stones and hold each one for one minute. I understand that this may take a while, but you must be patient. I will call each species in order of their pact, elves first, then humans, then dwarves, then Urgals. You will be called in order of age, eldest first. Any elf over a thousand and dwarf, human, or Urgal over forty will not enter the floor of the stadium. Now, I would like all elves between the ages of one thousand and nine hundred to step forward and onto the floor."

Saphira stopped talking and watched through the eyes of Herg as the called for elves came onto the stands. None were chosen, so she moved onto the next age group. Once she had gotten down to one hundred with still no results, she started on humans, stopping at twenty with no results. she did the same with dwarves and Urgals.

All this took nine days. Seeing as there were fewer than two thousand people left, she called them all down. There were one thousand, five hundred and sixty three eggs, and one thousand, four hundred and ninety four children to try for rider status. Each child held one egg, going to whichever they liked best. After a few moments, the Eggs were passed to the right, until every child had held every egg once. At the end, there were sixteen riders.

After she dismissed the children who were not chosen, Herg carried Saphira's large Eldunari into a tent, where the riders were waiting with their trembling eggs. She examined them all. "Oddly, all the dragons who wish to hatch have chosen children of each of your races. Not one of you is past your respective race's young adult stage. Between five and twenty for the prolific races, thirty and one hundred for the elves," Herg looked them all in the eye, then said in the voice the children had been hearing in their minds this whole time, "I will use this human's body to watch you. Do not disappoint me. Please." Then Herg carried the Sapphire Eldunari out, leaving the young to await the hatching of their eggs.


	4. Chapter 2, The Urgal who Ran

Fur'gol Burja sat in the tent, watching the Dark Red egg fixedly. He though back to a few weeks before that day, before the news of the eggs came to his village. Fur'gol had been training for the great games...

Flashback:

_Fur'gol ran across the clearing, chasing after his big brother. His short legs labored in vain to catch his ten year old Kull brother. That is, until Tak stopped and sat down to wait for Fur'gol. When the five year old Urgal reached him, Tak patted him on the shoulder and said, "You'll have to do a whole lot better than that if you want to catch me, Fur'gol."_

End flashback:

'That day was the beginning of what might have been a great career in the games,' Fur'gol thought ruefully. 'If not for the eggs.'

Flashback:

_Fur'gol was once again dashing through the clearing, practicing for the games next year. There were many sports in the games, a competition to find out who the best athletes in Alagaesia were, and Fur'gol's sport was running. He could run fast, since he had been training for the past twelve years. _

_Now that he was seventeen, Fur'gol was only one year away from being able to compete. The games had been set up centuries and centuries ago, before the memory of all but the oldest elves. But all this did not matter to Fur'gol. All that mattered to him at the moment was the pounding of his feet against the dirt. __When he reached the village, he saw many of Urgals in the square in the middle of the village. He pushed his way through to see what the news was. _

_He heard the end of the herald's message, "... to attend the event. Those who do not obey this decree will miss out on the chance of a lifetime. These are the words of Saphira Bright-scales, the first dragon of the Second Order of riders." the herald looked around, then said, "I repeat the decree. All Elves between the ages of thirty and one thousand, and all Urgals, Humans, and Dwarfs between the ages of five and forty are requested to attend a hatching ceremony in the great city of Iliria. __It is recommended that everyone plan to attend the event. Those who do not obey this decree will miss out on the chance of a lifetime. These are the words of Saphira Bright-scales, the first dragon of the Second Order of riders." _

_Fur'gol glared at the herald. _'Oh, great,'_ he thought, _'Ma's gonna make me go. I don't want to be a rider.'

End flashback:

Fur'gol thought back to this time. He had begged his mother not to make him go, but she insisted, and he was now sitting in a tent, staring at an egg. A hatching egg. He realized at that moment that he had been wrong.

As the dragon's head popped out of the egg, he realized that he **did** want to be a rider. A rider. He was going to be a rider. It didn't matter that he had come reluctantly, not now that that dark red head was peeking out of the egg shell, followed by a long, slender body. No, this was where he belonged.

Reaching out, he touched the hatchling with his right hand, but not before noticing that it seemed to have no wings, and it's legs were strangely small. As he touched the hatchling, oddly wonderful pain rippled through his body, and he knew no more.


	5. Chapter 3, Elf of the Lake

Sixteen, 3, Elf of the Lake

Caride Lomian sat in her private tent, watching as the egg hatched. Her dragon's egg was purple, with odd specks of light lavender. This was the first hatching ceremony that had been done for many years. Caride wondered what her dragon would look like for a while, but was distracted by thoughts of other firsts. her first swim in Ardwen Lake, for example.

Flashback:

_Caride solemnly followed her father out to the lake. This was the closest the child had ever gotten to the lake in all her ten years. As an elf child, she still glowed a deep gold. Caride gazed into the deep of the lake, then looked up to her father. He nodded sadly and pointed to the water. "Go on, Caride Lomian. Discover the waters!" he told her. Caride had put a foot in the clear water and decided right then and there that she loved water. She jumped into the water and swam for hours that day._

End flashback:

Caride sighed. She missed the lake. It had been only two weeks ago that she took her last swim in it. Before that, she had swam in the lake every single day. Forty years of constant swimming, hours a day. She realized that her opportunities for swimming might end up being limited now that she was about to be a rider. 'Oh well. The fact that I am going to be a rider overrules my sadness about leaving Ardwen Lake,' she thought. Watching a few shards of shell fall away, she remembered how she had learned about the egg hatching.

Flashback:

_Caride ran through Silthrim, sopping wet. Her brothers had come to tell her that father had something to tell them all and that he wouldn't say anything until they were all gathered. She burst into their house, slamming the door. She was glad to be an elf. Had she been a human, she would be panting for breath. Stopping in front of her father, she initiated the Elven greeting. "may good fortune rule over you"_

_"May the stars watch over you," he responded._

_After an appropriate pause, she turned to her brothers and repeated the greeting. Once that was over with, she turned to her father. "What is it you wish to tell us, father?"_

_Her father sat and sighed. "Caride, do you remember the stories I told you about Eragon and Saphira, and all the other riders and their dragons?"_

_Caride nodded. "Yes, you told me of how they died a century ago, father. And how the eggs went missing, along with the other secret of the dragons."_

_Her father nodded, looking each of his three offspring in the eye. "Saphira has been found. The other secret of the dragons is their ability to store their consciousness in a gem called an Eldunari that resides in their stomach. When their physical body dies, their consciousness lives on in this gem. Saphira did this, and her Eldunari was recently found."_

_Caride frowned thoughtfully. "Why are you telling us, father?"_

_"Because, Saphira led her discoverer to the location of the eggs, and has called all elves between the ages of thirty and one thousand have been called to go to the great stadium in Iliria to see if they will be the next riders."_

_Caride's eyes widened. "That includes me, father. And Faolin and Istener!"_

_Her two brothers were just as shocked as Caride. "Do you mean we may have another chance to be riders?" Faolin asked._

_"Yes son, but do not get your hopes up. There are many people who will be going, not just elves. The Humans, Urgals, and Dwarves are also attending."_

End flashback:

Caride had gone, of course, and she had waited and watched patiently as first her parents then her brothers tried and failed to get dragons to hatch for them. When it had been her turn, she had walked calmly up to a white egg and held it. Nothing had happened.

Flashback:

_Caride moved on to the tenth egg she saw. It was a stunning dark purple colour, with flecks of lavender all over it. As she held it, she felt a slight tremor._

_Her eyes widened, and she walked over to the human who was standing next to Saphira's Eldunari. "It is hatching," she told the dragon._

_Saphira responded in Caride's mind. "Turn to the left and go down the tunnel. The third door on the left leads to a tent. Wait in the main atrium until I come. The egg will not hatch until it is the proper time, which it is not at this moment._

End flashback:

As she sat in her section of the tent, Caride thought of how she had followed the dragon's advice and gone in to see a young human boy of six sitting there with a turquoise egg. They had silently waited there as, one by one, more children entered the tent. When there were sixteen, which happened around noon, no more came in. Later, Saphira and the human man had come in. Caride had noticed the small child's face brighten as the man came in. Saphira had made five speeches, one in each language they spoke (One human was of the wandering tribes) then showed them their rooms. Caride had chosen this one and-

A sound snatched Caride out of the thoughts. She looked at the egg, a smile on her face. "Your hatching" she whispered. A hole appeared and a dark purple head poked out of it. The dragon purred, and clawed it's way out of the egg. Caride smiled, and put her hand on the dragon's head.


	6. Chapter 4, Child of Kings

Chapter 4, Child of Kings

Niali lay on her stomach, chin resting on her arms as she stared fixedly at the black egg. The dragon egg. She was about to become a dragon rider. Niali almost couldn't believe it was true. It almost hadn't been true, actually.

Niali thought back to the stories her grandfather had told her about the riders of old. He had heard them from his grandfather, who had actually met the first rider of the second order!

**Flashback:**

_"... was when our family used to be the royal family. We didn't have any real power, that going to the elected government. You are a third cousin to princess Dahali." her grandfather, her Babu, was saying, but Niali wasn't paying much attention._

_The six year old girl was too interested in a beetle scuttling across the sand floor of their tent._

_"Niali!" Babu said sternly._

_"Yes, Babu?" Niali sat up and looked up at him with wide eyes. "What is it Babu?"_

_"Will you listen?" Babu asked, then reproached her for being distracted by a mere beetle._

_"Sorry, Babu" Niali said, bowing her head in shame. "I will listen"_

_Babu nodded and continued his story. "I tell you this to give you some idea as to why my grandfather was fortunate enough to meet Eragon Shadeslayer."_

_"Shadeslayer?" Niali interrupted. "What's that?"_

_Babu frowned at her. "A person who has killed a shade, a spirit infested sorcerer. Anyway, my Grandfather met Eragon, one of the greatest riders to exist..."_

**End flashback:**

Niali sighed. Her eyes wandered until they lit upon a beetle scuttling across the wooden floor of this tent. She sat up and crawled after it, grabbing it when she got close enough. "A red fisherman's beetle" she muttered happily, identifying it. Putting it back on the floor, she watched the beetle finish it's scuttling, then turned back to the egg. The egg! She was going to be a dragon rider! She thought back to the day she had learned about the hatching.

**Flashback:**

_"...are the words of Saphira Bright-scales, the first dragon of the Second Order of riders" The herald finished speaking and rolled up his scroll. He then mounted his horse and galloped out of town, going to the next town to spread the news._

_Niali, now a full ten years of age, ran back home to tell her Babu. "... and it happens in two weeks, Babu!"_

_"You cannot go" Babu said firmly._

_"Cannot go? Why not, Babu?" Niali asked, confused. Why shouldn't she go? She could be an actual rider!_

_"It is a waste of time, trying to be a rider. You will not be chosen, you will only be disappointed. And since you will not be chosen, you have no reason to go." He said, coughing._

_"But, Babu! Who says I cannot be a rider? I could be one! There are thousands of eggs, I'm told! One of them is bound to be mine!" Niali pleaded._

**End flashback:**

Niali had pleaded with her Babu for nearly an hour, but then she had to get the meal on the table, leaving him alone in his private section of the tent.

Niali had thought about the dragon eggs as she cooked, and the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to go. She was so distracted by these thoughts that the eggs she had been cooking burnt.

It was then that had she decided that she was going, whether Babu wanted her to or not.

**Flashback:**

_When Babu was finally asleep, Niali quietly gathered her belongings and put them in a small sack. She hefted the sack onto her shoulders and walked out of the tent. She hitched a ride with a family who she knew, their cart could hold one more._

**End flashback:**

Niali sighed. She watched the egg attentively. 'I wonder how Babu is doing' she thought. Suddenly she sat up. There was a crack in the egg! She lifted the egg and watched as the hatchling broke out of its prison. She grinned happily and placed her left hand on the dragon's head to pet it.

Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in her left hand and traveled up her arm to her head, and she knew no more.


	7. Chapter 5, Small but Mighty

Chapter 5, The Shortest Elf

Laticia Ilbere was a normal elf, in most categories. She was patient, logical, long-lived, clever, and most other things an elf should be. The only thing wrong with her was her shape. Somehow, she had not grown upwards, instead she grew out. At first glance, one might mistake her for a dwarf. The egg hadn't though. Oh, right, I nearly forgot about that! Here goes!

* * *

Laticia paced the length of the section of tent she had been allotted. She could hear the sounds of talking and muttering from the other tents. Watching a beetle cross the floor, she remembered the little black human girl who had been chosen by the black dragon. 'That child was so excited to have a dragon choose her,' Laticia thought with a smile. 'Unlike me'

Flashback:

_A young elf ran through the streets of a human city._

_Human boys chased her, mocking, "Shorty! Shorty! Your father was a dwarf!"_

_"No he wasn't!" The elf replied, tears blurring her vision. "He was an elf!"_

_The boys laughed and continued to chase her as she cried._

End flashback:

Laticia walked back to her light blue egg. It took her a while with her short legs. When she reached it, she placed her hand on the egg. "I wonder when you will hatch?" she asked aloud. "Why did you choose me? I'm nothing special"

Flashback:

_Now a few years older, the elf was no taller. She watched from the side as a group of elves dance at a ball. She has a stunning dress on, but no-one wants to dance with a shorty._

_She left the ball early and changed into casual clothing. Walking into the forest, the elf came upon a squirrel, laying on he ground. "Hello, furry tail" she said, kneeling beside it. Gently examining the squirrel, she found that it had a broken leg. "Don't worry, baby, I'll fix you up" she said calmly as she picked up the squirrel and carried it to her home._

_"Mother," She said to the woman sitting with a piece of clay in her delicate hands, "I found a squirrel with a broken leg in the woods"_

_The woman put the clay down and walked over to her child. "Let me see" she said softly reaching over to touch the squirrel. Holding the squirrel, she muttered a few words. The squirrel let out a squeak as it's leg returned to it's normal condition. After her mother had put the squirrel on the floor and let it run off, Laticia hugged her. "Thank you so much!" She looked up at her mother and asked, "When will I learn to use magic? I'm already thirty, and most other elves begin to learn magic at twenty or younger"_

_"I don't know, child. I don't know" She muttered, rubbing her daughter's back._

_Laticia pulled away from the hug after a moment and looked a where the squirrel had disappeared to. "Will he be alright?"_

_"As long as he is careful" her mother replied._

End flashback:

Laticia sighed. Her life had been full of times like those. She was now 45, and still as short as a dwarf. She was always laughed at for her short stature. To make it worse, she never gained the ability to work magic like her father and mother could. Laticia sat down next to the egg and pulled it into her lap. She thought about how she had learned about the hatching. She had never imagined, even in her wildest dreams, that she might become a dragon rider.

Flashback:

_Laticia was at the home of Illia, one of her only friends. They were baking bread, the human way, without magic._

_"What now?" Illia asked._

_"I think we add some more flour?" Laticia said uncertainly, reading the recipe. Suddenly, a human friend of theirs, Hillary, burst through the door._

_"There's a Egg hatching! You girls have to come hear before the herald is finished!"_

_Laticia and Illia dropped their baking and followed Hillary to the town square. When they got there, the herald was finishing his first go through of the message. When he was finished the second time and got back on his horse, Hillary looked over at Illia and Laticia and squealed excitedly._

_"Isn't it awesome! One of us could be a dragon rider!"_

_Laticia had to remind herself that Hillary was only in her early twenties, no matter how much she looked like Laticia and the other half century old elves. She nodded half-heartedly. "Of course Hillary, we can all be dragon riders together" She said smoothly in Common, the tongue of humans like Hillary._

_Hillary just laughed cheerfully, As Laticia had known she would. "You don't think you'll be a rider do you? Well, there are thousands of eggs, one of them is bound to hatch for one of us!" She laughed cheerily._

End flashback:

Laticia had agreed to go, and almost left with Hillary, but the girl had insisted Laticia stay until her age group was called. Laticia had reluctantly agreed and stayed. When the egg shook in her grasp, she had been immensely shocked. She was so shocked that it didn't really register properly until she was already alone. Then she had started pacing. And now she was sitting on the floor, a dragon egg in her lap. A dragon egg that had a crack in it! It was hatching! She placed it on the dirt floor and excitedly watched her dragon hatch. No matter that she was an elf, and elves had no emotion. She was excited. And when that light blue head popped out of the shell, she touched it eagerly, knowing about the pain that would fill her body. She screamed silently, and passed out.


	8. Chapter 6, Red Hot Temper

Chapter 6, Red Hot Temper

"What's the point?" the black haired youth growled at a green object in the corner of the room. "You don't want me. I'm worthless!" He said. "I'll make a terrible rider. I don't even want you!" He paced the length of the floor, then turned to look at the green egg.

Thymomenos sighed. "Why did you choose me?" he glared. "There were so many other kids, better choices than me." He turned away from the egg. There were so many things in his life that didn't match up to a normal elf. Like his childhood.

_Flashback:_

_The elf woman held hands with her mate, telling him with a bright smile that she was pregnant. It was such a joy, to have a child._

_..._

_Many months later, a young elf was born, a boy. As tradition declared, the parents delayed naming their child until he was a week old. The child, even at such a young age, seemed to be full of temper, so the parents chose a name that, in another language, meant "anger"_

_..._

_Thymomenos, now a year old, has his first birthday. Glaring at the cake, he asks in the ancient language, "Where cannels?" realizing that there were none of the white wax structures he had seen on the cakes of human birthdays. He glared at his mother, saying angrily, "Where candewls!?" he looked at his father, repeating the question. When his parents had no answer, the young elf took a fist and punched the cake angrily. "No candewls!" he slapped the cake and hit it mercilessly._

_End flashback:_

Thymomenos sighed and turned to look at the egg again. He kicked the sand angrily and turned away once more. Thinking back to his childhood, he remembered his birthday, and how his temper problems had escalated from there.

_Flashback:_

_A human boy, maybe ten years old, runs through a village, angry tears racing down his cheeks. An old woman chases after him, a rolling pan in her hand. "Come back here, you little ruffian!" she calls, but the boy does not listen. Suddenly, a figure jumps out of the trees and hisses at the woman. The woman jumps back, surprised. She doesn't take the time to examine what the creature is, instead running away in the direction she had come. The boy, however, freezes in fright at the sight of the half clothed elf, who looks at him with a tilted head, then climbs back into the trees above. The boy stares into the trees for a moment, then runs in the direction he had been running before. The elf watches him silently, then climbs out of sight into the trees._

_..._

_Thymomenos woke from the nightmare in a cold sweat, just as he had done many times in the past few years. It was a warning of what might happen if he did not straighten out his ways. He could be thrown out of the elven community, forced to life alone in the forest, but also doomed to helping people, for he was compassionate for children persecuted by adults. Quick to anger, Thymomenos had been a shame to the elven community ever since he was a child. His disregard of authority and tendency to speak his mind without thinking of the effects of his words had earned him a bad name in Du Weldenvarden._

_He was known widely as the "Angry Elf," and while he was not ashamed of the title, he was not proud of it either. His feelings for it were more of indifference. he didn't really care, he was more angry about how people treated him, as though he were scum. He was not scum. He was an elf, just like them, he just acted slightly differently._

_End flashback:_

"Augh!" Thymomenos exclaimed wordlessly and angrily. Turning to a tent pole, he punched it furiously. Grown through elves magic, the pole was impervious to whatever blows he dealt it. After a minute or so of continuos punching, Thymomenos finally gave up and looked at his now bloody fists. The skin had broken in multiple spots, and his hands were bruised and bloody. Wincing, he said "Wase Heil," pouring a bit of his magic into his hand to cause the skin to rejoin and heal. Thymomenos sighed and sat down facing away from the egg. He thought about how he had gotten into thus situation.

_Flashback:_

_Thymomenos laughed aloud. "What a joke! A hatching? Really, who believes in those anymore!" Thymomenos mocked the messenger once the message was over. "It's not true! They've got eggs, but none of those dragons are going to hatch for you! They favor humans, last I heard!" Then he was dragged away by a pair of thick arms, those of his so called "Personal guard." Otherwise known as his prison guard. The Urgal picked Thymomenos up by the armpits and hefted the elf over his shoulder. Thymomenos was left to kick uselessly against the Urgal's - no, more like Kull's - chest, and punch his back. Thankfully, the brute neglected to cover his mouth, so Thymomenos was able to continue his rant, about how, ever since the Last Great Dragon War, the dragon eggs had chosen more humans than all the other species combined, and that, if twenty eggs hatched at the hatching, at least fifteen of them would probably be humans. He then proceeded to explain exactly how this was certain, and how, if a person was half elf, half human, they would probably have a better chance at Dragon Rider status than a full blooded elf, and that children of Riders of old also had a better chance at Rider hood. "Just look at the first rider of the second order! Eragon was the son of that idiot Human Rider, Bro-" Thymomenos was cut off by the Kull pulling him off his shoulder and dropping him on the floor._

_"RRRRAAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH" The Kull yelled at him. "SHUT UP!"_

_Thymomenos stopped ranting and stared blankly at the wall. He was doing his "mad" tactic once more. The Kull, however, saw through the ruse, shaking Thymomenos's shoulders and growling._

_Finally, Thymomenos broke. "What!?" He asked angrily._

_"You upset the crowd" The Kull said, in his deep, guttural voice. "You promised not to."_

_Thymomenos rolled his eyes. "So what?"_

_The Kull went on to explain why it was a problem, but Thymomenos wasn't listening. He planned to go to this so-called 'hatching' and prove to the world that: One) he really was worthless, Two) humans are mostly chosen, and Three) that he could escape the clutches of a Kull._

_End flashback:_

So that is what he had done, escaping with nothing but the clothing on his back. He had climbed onto the stage at the appointed time, and had walked up to an egg, touching it as a joke, but at one point, he saw a green egg that looked very interesting. Picking it up, Thymomenos had turned the egg in his hands, examining its many shades and crevasses. When it had suddenly stirred, Thymomenos had quickly put the egg down, but he had been seen, and he was called into the tent. And now, here he was, sitting in his own, private section of the tent, and he had a dragon to meet.

He turned around to face the egg once more, finally resigned to accept his recent circumstances. When a large crack appeared in the egg, he closed his mouth and reached out his hand slightly. The hatchling would have to be strong to survive being the dragon of Thymomenos, and what better time to start than now? As the green head peeked out of its shell, the dragon looked around with bleary eyes. When it saw the elf sitting there, the dragon leaped forward and pushed its head against Thymomenos's hand, causing the elf to pass out.


	9. Chapter 7, Gimpy

**A/N: I would really like to thank all my reviewers. Your comments are very much appreciated. I love it when people like my work and tell me, and it is even better when people give me constructive criticism, because then I can improve my work. Thank you again for all the support! **

Chapter 7, Gimpy

Jerrick Gidrahl sat at a small table, studying the large oval object upon it with intensity. Indigo with Navy Blue veins, the object was as long as the fifteenyear-old's forearm, and three times thicker. Jerrick frowned contemplatively at the object, thinking about his childhood. He had never known his mother, and his father... Well, that was another story altogether...

_Flashback:_

_A young human child with close cropped brown hair runs through a series of alleyways, shrieking with laughter. He seems to be around eight years old. He is chased by a slightly smaller boy, who is carrying a small wooden shield and a plank of wood carved in the shape of a sword. Another glance at the first child shows that he carries similar instruments. As the first boy turns, a glimpse is given of his bright blue eyes. These eyes show the presence of smiles. _

_"Charge!" the blue eyed youth calls, turning to wave his wooden sword at the other boy, whose black hair frames a pair of pale grey eyes. _

_The two boys laugh together and attack each other with their toy weapons._

_From above, a small boy who seems to be seven watches the game. His long brown hair hides his green eyes, but the look on his face is unmistakable. One of longing and envy, the look expresses the boy's feelings perfectly. The boy's gaze had transferred to the two in the alley from a flock of birds he had been watching earlier. A wrinkled hand reaches over from behind and rests gently on the boy's shoulder. "Jerrick, you must return to your studies. Your father has decreed that it be so, and I dare not disobey him"_

_Jerrick turned his head to look at the old lady who was his nursemaid. "I shall come, nurse" He said, after some hesitation. _

_"Good boy" The old woman patted the boy lightly on the back. The poor child wanted so much to go out and play with the other boys. But he was not allowed to. Tutored in both the school season and the free season, Jerrick had no time to even meet the other boys. The old lady watched Jerrick walk out the door, then stuck her head out the window. Yelling at the boys, she told them "You'd better scram, boys! If the master hears you, you'd be punished terribly!" The master did not want his son to see the fun other children had during the summer. The boys, hearing what the old lady said, ran away to play in another alley, because they were frightened of the man who lived in that house. _

_Jerrick descended the stairs and headed for his father's study. "Father, I am here," he called quietly, peeking his head in to see his father, head bent over his desk. _

_"Good, good" his father muttered distractedly, concentrating on a pile of paperwork on his desk. "Come in, son."_

_Jerrick walked into the room on silent feet. _

_"Have you had a good sleep, son?" His father asked. _

_"Yes, father. But I haven't had breakfast yet" Jerrick replied honestly. He had been watching the birds out the window and forgotten about breakfast, and then the other boys had come into his field of vision. _

_His father looked up, concerned. He might not pay a whole lot of his attention to his son, but it would not be said that a son of the wealthy merchant, Grepticus, was un-cared for. "Why did you not eat your breakfast, son?"_

_Jerrick sighed quietly, then told his father about the birds, and about seeing the other children playing. "Why cannot I play with other children, father?" he asked, once his tale was told. _

_The father sighed and put down his papers. "I wish you to be educated, son, so that you will be enabled to take over the business when you are grown. I do not wish for your manners and actions to be influenced by the common rabble. Anyway, you have the children of the other merchants to play with" he focused his gaze upon his son, to see what his response would be. _

_"But..." Jerrick began, then stopped, realizing his arguments would be useless. _

_End flashback:_

Jerrick thought back to that summer day. That had been the day he had learned that there were boys his age who played games. He was only allowed to play with merchant children, and had barely even known that other children played as well. The thing was, the only merchant children near his age were girls, and all the boys were either in their teens or they were still babies. Poor Jerrick was left alone at any merchant gathering, the older boys playing rough games he was too young to join, the younger boys being babysat by their mothers or sisters. He would never play with the girls, he had too much self-esteem to play with dolls and yarn. He was usually left to read scrolls in the library of whatever house they were in. Because of this, Jerrick ended up having a pretty good education, and in school, he was at the level of the boys who were three years older than him. The summer school helped too, of course. But Jerrick hated it. He despised being smarter than kids two and three years older than him, he despised having the burden of the family business to think about being placed on his shoulders when he got older. He had made friends with those two peasant boys, eventually, but his father reprimanded him for it. Jerrick was not allowed to even associate with the lower class children. That was why, when he was twelve, Jerrick ran away from home.

_Flashback:_

_Jerrick re-checked his pack for what felt like the hundredth time, as he waited in his room for his father's lamp to extinguish. There! It was out, and he could finally escape. Quietly opening his shutters, the twelve year-old slipped out of his bedroom and onto his windowsill, pack tied firmly to his back. Grabbing various stones, the boy made his way down the wall of the house. Once he was safely on the ground, Jerrick began to tiptoe away from the building. _

_Once he was a few houses away, he began to walk, and finally began to run. He wanted to whoop for joy, but restrained himself, containing his emotions like he had been all his life. He did allow himself a small smile, however, as a reward for getting away safely. Reaching the city walls and finding the gates closed, Jerrick climbed the drainpipe of a house and hid on top of the roof till morning. As soon as the gate opened, Jerrick was off the roof and out in the country. _

_Looking around, he tried not to get lost, but it was such a large crowd. How would he find his way without getting disoriented? Jerrick decided to climb a tree and wait till the crowd lessened. Seeing a tree, he made his way towards it..._

_End flashback:_

Jerrick sighed quietly. "I wish this hadn't happened" He muttered quietly to himself. "I don't want to be famous, I just wanna be left alone" he knew of the fame and prestige that came with becoming a rider. It was a great honor to be chosen, and only one or two dragons hatched each decade, even when they still hatched. Jerrick didn't know what to think about it all. He remembered the day he had run away with surprising vividness. He had stayed in that tree till late morning, then climbed down and began his walk to the city of Feinster, where his uncle, a Blacksmith, lived and worked. When Jerrick was about a ten minute walk away from Feinster, almost there...

_Flashback:_

_Jerrick glanced around the forest with fear. The lightning storm was causing bushels upon bushels of water to rain down on the forest animals, and upon Jerrick, the lone traveler. Suddenly, there was a loud creaking noise, and Jerrick saw, put of the corner of his eye, a tree begin to fall. Turning to the tree, he froze in terror. If the tree was not interrupted, it would fall on him. Panicking, Jerrick tried to run, but his foot caught on a root and he tripped. It was then that he felt a sharp pain in his left leg. Crying out in pain, he called for help, but none came..._

_End Flashback:_

Jerrick turned in his seat to look away from the egg. He recalled how he had waited for what had seemed to be weeks before anyone found him, though he was told it was only a few days. He had been feverish from lack of food and water when they did find him, but the healer was able to save his life, if not the use of his leg. 'Now,' Jerrick thought to himself, 'At least I can almost use my leg. Three years of determination does wonders, doesn't it?' looking back at the egg, Jerrick pondered on the events that had lead up to this day...

After he had been rescued, Jerrick had taken a few months off doing much of anything, a task which was very tedious. Once that time was over, there was an excruciatingly long time of recuperation, while he tied to get his leg back to working order. Finally, he could use it once more, though he needed a cane and he had a significant limp. As soon he could, Jerrick went to live at his uncle's blacksmith shop, working the bellows to earn his keep. But there was a problem. Because of his limp, other girls and boys would tease him...

_Flashback:_

_"Gimpy, Gimpy, silly little Gimpy!" the girl sang as she jump roped. "One step Gimpy, one leg don't work! Thinks he's better, if he's higher, up in grades than all the rest!"_

_A slightly older Jerrick sat in the corner of the schoolyard. He was here to complete his schooling, since it now went until a child was eighteen before they were allowed to quit school. Of course, the fourteen year old nephew of a blacksmith was in his last year, at the same level of schooling as kids four years older than him. None of the other kids knew how he had gotten so smart, so they teased him. They teased him about being smart, about having a limp, about everything. _

_"Hey! Gimpy!" A boy shouted mockingly, startling Jerrick out of his thoughts. "You wanna eat dirt!?" Jerrick stood quickly, shaking his head._

_"That would be most unpleasant" He replied quietly, his face void of emotion._

_The other boy laughed and pushed Jerrick over, taking his cane. Jerrick sighed and stood again, using the wall to help him balance. The other boy was about to hit him when... The school bell rang, and the children were called into the school for class. Jerrick sighed inwardly with immense relief and dropped down on the dirt to crawl over to his cane, still unable to use his left leg, and not completely trusting it to support his weight. Jerrick picked up his cane and used it to help himself stand, and went into class. The teacher smiled compassionately at him as he passed, then closed the door..._

_End flashback:_

Jerrick sighed and turned to look at the egg once more. Grabbing the dark blue-purple and putting it in his lap, he examined the fine webbing. He remembered about how much persuasion it had taken his aunt to convince him to come. He had never known her to be so insistent or do perseverant, and these new traits in his aunt had surprised Jerrick into agreeing to go to the hatching. Then, she had sat in the audience as all the people went down the steps to touch the eggs, and was even there as Jerrick and all the other young people went onto the stadium floor to touch the eggs. It was she who convinced Jerrick to go down, she who had watched anxiously from the stands as he went up to each egg, and it had been she who cheered and wept when he was revealed to be a future rider. Jerrick looked away from the egg for a moment, wishing he did not have to do this, to become a person who would be so prevalent in society, a figure head of heroics, a public person, and sighed.

Suddenly, Jerrick heard a soft "Crack" and his eyes flew to the egg. As he watched, a small crack in the egg's surface grew and multiplied, spreading all over the surface of the egg like wildfire. The cracks kept coming and coming, and yet the egg did not break. Jerrick sat still, afraid to move, as the cracks split the small pieces of the shell into yet smaller pieces. Soon, even the bottom of the egg was covered in the cracks, which were creating such tiny pieces of shell that there was almost no fragment left that was more than half a centimeter at its widest point. Then, the egg fragments suddenly chattered into a million dust particles, and the dragon was left sitting on Jerrick's lap. It was a beauty, with stunning scales of a deep indigo colour, and as it moved, waves of navy blue appeared, revealing that the underside of each scale was a lighter colour than the topside of the dragon's scales. Jerrick gasped with amazement and laid both hands on the dragon's sides. Suddenly, intense and wonderful pain shot up Jerrick's arms, and he passed out.


	10. Chapter 8, Illegally Blind

**Sorry for the hold up, I had a bit of writers block.**

* * *

Chapter 8, Illegally Blind

Mak'tíre cleaned his glasses once more. Oh, how he hated those things! But he needed them. As much as he wished he didn't, he did. Without them, he couldn't see an inch in front of his face clearly. Putting the glass and wire "vision correctors" back on, he turned to look at the egg. Egg. As in, Dragon. It was incredible. Unlike some of the people who had gone before him - he had seen their faces when they learned they would be Riders - Mak'tíre was glad to be a rider. Maybe the riders could fix his eyes! He had seen elves do magic, but they had no common tongue, and he could not ask them to help him. Then again, even if they did have a common language, why would an elf help him, an orphan?

_Flashback:_

_Grace stood and gathered her papers. Like usual, the orphanage was in dire straits. Thankfully, there had been no more children in a whole month, and there was a group of older children who would be old enough to go out in the world themselves next week. If only they could hold out till then, the government would send them money as a thank you for raising the children. Every child who grew up and left the orphanage gave them a bit more money, because there were so few orphanages the government was thankful for every child who grew up. So they got paid. Suddenly, Grace heard a light knock on the door. Walking over, she peeked out the small window, but no-one was there. Then she heard the knock again. Opening the door, Grace saw a small basket with a babe wrapped up in it. Picking up the basket, she looked at the child. An Urgal by the look of it, and male. She carried him into the building. "Hello little one" She said sweetly. "What shall we call you?" She looked at the blanket that was covering him. "A wolf. How about Wolf?" She wondered aloud. Then, because she wished to bless the boy, she decided to name him in the ancient language, in which she only knew a few words, but one of those was the name for wolf. "Mak'tíre" She said softly as she rocked the child in her arms, "Mak'tíre"_

_..._

_Seven years later_

_..._

_The Urgal baby had grown into a miniature warrior. Even thousands of years of peaceful living had not removed the savage nature of the Urgals. At least, not completely. Mak'tíre stayed true to Urgal nature, yelling fierce battle cries as he charged up the rungs of the slide and as he slid down the slide. He grinned and looked over to where he knew Mama Grace was. They all called her that, Mama Grace. Mama Grace and Papa Fred took care of all the kids._

_Mak'tíre ran to Mama Grace until he could see her face, which was pretty close, considering that he was an Urgal, and Urgals were supposed to have really good eyesight. He was, as some healers said, un-curable. But perhaps they just said that because they did not want to expend any effort in healing him. Not that he cared at that age. No, he didn't care. The only thing he cared about was playing, though he couldn't do that very well with his vision impairment. Without far vision, he could not judge the locations of things properly, and had to move close to something to identify it as a threat or harmless. This was why he was alone in the playground, while all the other orphans his age were on a walk in the foothills of the Beor Mountains. He had to stay home. With the babies. Needless to say, this made Mak'tíre unhappy, but he hid his feelings well from Mama Grace._

_Mak'tíre ran up to his human caregiver with a grin, concealing the inner conflict that was raging within him._

_"Hello, Ma__k_'tíre. Are you enjoying yourself?"

_Mak'tíre nodded. Along with his bad eyesight, Mak'tíre was lacking in another early development of Urgals. Their ability to speak. While most Urgal children would be speaking at his age, Mak'tíre could not. Or would not. Only he knew. Grace took the nod as a yes, then asked, "Would you like to have some tea and biscuits with me?"_

_The young Urgal nodded. One of the only good things about these afternoons alone with Grace was that he got Tea, a novelty in this part of Alagaësia. He was the only child under fourteen who had ever had a taste of it._

_Grace held out her hand, holding Mak'tíre's glasses. She always removed them when he played, else he would ruin them._

_Mak'tíre put on the glasses and the world came into focus. He smiled up at Mama Grace, took her hand, and they walked into the main building to have their Tea._

_End flashback:_

As the memory faded, Mak'tíre found his attention drawn to the egg. It was so beautiful, and for once, he was glad for the glasses. The egg seemed to be made of three layers. The bottom layer was a deep blue colour, with a hint of a green tint. The middle layer, only a few millimeters thick, was clear, with patches of green and blue colour mixed in. And the top layer, it was the most exquisite thing he had ever seen, mostly clear with veins of all the colours of the rainbow streaming through it. All together, the three layers could not have been more than a centimeter thick, but they somehow had the strength of diamond. Stronger, in fact. Mak'tíre sighed and put the egg back on the floor. He thought back to his childhood, when life had not been kind to him.

_Flashback:_

_Mak'tire ran through the corridors, hands outstretched to keep from smashing into things. The ten year old Urgal ducked and rolled, turning to run down another hallway. A small stone came quizzing past as he turned, missing his ear by mere inches. He yelped and ducked again, then kept running. As he ran, he held out one hand and moved close enough to the wall that he could feel it. He ran this way until he found a doorway, running in and closing the door, turning the lock. He stood there for a moment, panting, then pulled a small case out of his pocket. Inside was a pair of glasses, which he put on. He then looked around the room. To his wonder and amazement, it was full of books from floor to ceiling. He walked to the shelf and pulled out a thick book. "Domina Abr Wyrda" He read the title quietly._

_"Dominance of Fate" A soft voice replied, in the Urgal language. A slim figure slipped out of the shadows in one corner of the room. A female. Elf or Human "A good choice. You can read the Ancient Language?"_

_"A little" Mak'tíre admitted quietly. "I enjoy reading"_

_"Odd, for one of your species" she replied, kneeling beside him. "Don't you usually spend your time in athletics?"_

_Mak'tíre nodded silently. He pointed to his glasses._

_"Ah, you are the blind one" She said with a bittersweet smile. "I have heard tales of you"_

_"Me?" Mak'tíre asked. "Who would care about me?"_

_"Friendly people. Not all are like I though. Guard yourself, son" The lady replied quietly, then faded away. Mak'tíre looked around, but could not find her. He wondered about her advice, and began to follow it. Instead of running, he ignored the other boys._

_..._

_Over time, Mak'tíre discovered that joking could prevent bullying. So he became the class clown._

_End flashback:_

And now, years later, Mak'tíre still wondered about that lady. Who had she been? Was she even real? He didn't know, and he supposed he never would know. Never.

Watching a large fly buzz around the tent, Mak'tíre thought contemplatively about his past. As the class clown, he had created a small way for others to like him - they began to like the joking side of him. He had joked and joked, but over time he had begun to be more and more uncomfortable. His discomfort had made him closed off, so he had started to act haughty and arrogant to hide it, and the haughtiness and arrogance had bled into his personality. Now, his first reaction to a negative statement was to remark with a retort. He sighed, then turned back to the egg at the sound of a crack. It was hatching! The egg was hatching. He stared at it, but nothing more happened. He slouched, and was caught up in another memory.

_Flashback:_

_"Do you want to go?" She asked_

_"Why should I?" He replied grumpily. "It's not as if I have any chance of being chosen"_

_"You have as much of a chance as any other" She encouraged him. "Please go, Mak'tíre"_

_"Fine," Mak'tíre agreed after considerable thought. "I'll go. For you, Grace, and no other reason"_

_"You won't regret it" She replied, giving her adopted son a hug. She had adopted him a few years ago, to keep him close. He had grown so strong, but so distant, despite her efforts._

_End Flashback:_

Mak'tíre was wrenched out of the memory by another crack. "Are you finally hatching?" he whispered, and was rewarded with a small head popping out of the shell. He smiled. "Welcome, little one," he said, and touched the dragon.


	11. Chapter 9, Son of Smith

_**Sorry for the delay in submitting this chapter, all those who are following this story. I had a major case of writers block and a little thing called life. Anyway, here's a Christmas gift for you all!**_

* * *

Chapter 9, Son of Smith

_The young male dwarf watched helplessly from his hiding place as a giant bear attacked and killed his parents._

* * *

... Three minutes after ...

_The boy opened his eyes. The bear had left. Quickly, he squeezed out of the hole and ran away on his short, five year old legs._

* * *

... Three hours after ...

_After a few hours of wandering in the brush and snow, the child knew he was lost. He was unable to find his way home. But he kept walking. He was bound to encounter some village sometime, he figured._

* * *

... Three days after ...

_The young girl dwarf ran into her village. "Mother! Father!" The ten year old cried out. "Draenei is here, but his parents are missing!" Following slowly behind her was the child who saw his parents devoured. He collapsed in the middle of the street, and the girl came back with a lady dwarf. _  
_"What happened to him?" The lady muttered, "He's frozen, ragged, dirty, and half starved!" she took a small cloth from a pocket and dabbed at the boy's forehead. "He has a fever too," she told the girl. "Go, get Angie" The girl nodded and ran to find the human herbalist, who apparently had a distant ancestor by the same name and profession who actually saved Eragon a few times. Or so she said. The girl found Angela and brought her to the boy. _  
_"He's been starved, and may have frostbite and hypothermia" Angie said worriedly. She picked him up. "I will take care of him"_

* * *

... Three weeks after ...

_The dwarf boy sat on a chair and waited patiently while Angie checked his breathing and heart beat. "You're getting much better, Draenei" She said with a smile, then patted his back._

_The boy, Draenei, smiled, and jumped down from the stool. "Nana?" He asked the human lady._

_"She's with your Uncle Slate," The herbalist replied._

_"Go now?" He asked._

_"Yes, you can go find your sister"_

* * *

... Three months after ...

_"I don't wanna stay!" He cried. His uncle sent him away - to a place where humans lived. After Draenei had recovered enough, he had told them about the Bear. And now, Uncle Slate had sent him and Nana far far away, so the bears could never touch them. But Draenei didn't want to go live somewhere else. He wanted to stay in the mountains. But alas, he had been able to say nothing to dissuade the adult. So here he was, in the home of a human, a blacksmith, absolutely terrified. And Uncle Slate, the only person left of his childhood, was leaving! He didn't want to stay here alone, but he had to._

_"It's okay, Draenei, I will take care of you and your sister" A human woman said with a soft smile._

_"No! I wanna go home!" He said angrily, pushing her away._

_"It's okay, Draenei, you are safe here."_

_"Don't wanna stay!" he cried._

_"Draenei Stoneface! You suck up and be quiet, now!" The human spoke sternly, and in a no-nonsense way. She meant what she said._

_Draenei glared at her, but he was quiet._

_"Good. Now, about the rules of this house..."_

* * *

... Three years after ...

_Draenei opened the door to the dwelling excitedly. "Auntie Alice, I'm home!" he said with a smile, then paused. He had called the dwelling home. The first time, it was the first time he had done so. Home was in the mountains, not here. Wasn't it? He shook his head, confused. It was too much for his eight year old brain. _

_Auntie Alice came into the hallway from the kitchen and found Draenei standing there, with his snow covered boots. "Draenei! What have I said about boots?" She said sternly. _

_Draenei looked up at her, as if from a trance. "What?" He asked slowly. _

_"Boots. Off. Now." Alice said, turning and going back into the kitchen and throwing a thick cloth back at him. "And clean the floor" _

_Draenei nodded and took off his boots, putting them by the side of the door. "Sorry" He called. "I was daydreaming" Kneeling down, he wiped the sludge off the wood floor, careful to keep it from spreading. He didn't want the wood to stain any more than it already was. When he was finished, he brought the cloth back to Auntie Alice. "Auntie, it's been three years"_

_"Nonsense, you came here in the spring" She replied, kneading a lump of dough. _

_"Since my parents were killed, Auntie" He said with a frown. _

_She looked over to him. "Are you going to do this again? Last year, and the year before, you moped around for nearly a week"_

_"No. I'm eight now. Not a baby. I won't cry" He stood straight. _

_Alice looked at him with eyes that could pierce souls. "Honey, I know how hard it is for you to relive it every year. You can cry, everyone cries now and then. I just don't want you to get depressed. It's bad for you."_

_Draenei nodded. "Okay, Auntie" he said, and went to his room._

* * *

... Six years after ...

_Draenei laughed heartily at his own joke. "And then," He continued, "The lady saw a frog, saying, "Read-it, read-it!"" _

_The group laughed. Eleven years old, Draenei was always the happiest kid in school, ready with a kind word for anyone who needed one. All the kids knew it. Son of the blacksmith, Draenei was so caring and considerate, just like his Aunt Alice. He had learned from her, and learned well. _

_Draenei found that he enjoyed being well mannered and charismatic, speaking eloquently was still out of his grasp, but he was sure he could master the talent soon._

* * *

... Ten years after ...

_"Good afternoon, Sir," the now fifteen year old Draenei said to the man. "Do you posses the fee required for entry?" He asked. He was helping his aunt, who was working in the kitchen of a lord. The lord was having a feast, and had invited anyone who was able to pay a certain fee to join the party. He was the fee collector, and all the guests were impressed by his ability to speak so professionally. In the past few centuries, the Dwarfs had become less and less sociable. Something about the increasing rarity of gemstones and the increasing demand by humans for the precious stones. Whatever it was, Draenei didn't know, and frankly, he didn't care._

* * *

... Fourteen Years after ...

_Draenei Stoneface walked with the rest of the giant group. He figured there must have been more than a thousand people there, all young. Well, young in the case of the Dwarves, Urgals, and Humans. The Elves... Well, he didn't know what counted as young for them. For the rest of them, there was no-one over the age of twenty in that huge group, that he could tell. Stepping onto the ground of the stadium, Draenei looked for the table where the green eggs were. As it was his favorite colour, he could not resist trying to get a green egg to hatch for him. But that table was empty. He looked around. There was a blue egg over there! He walked over to that table, but it was gone by the time he reached it. Draenei sighed and looked around. He looked around. Where...? Ah! Another egg over there! He finally managed to grab an egg. A purple one. He held it for a minute, but nothing happened. He sighed and put it back. It was then that he saw the dark orange egg. Laying discarded on the ground, it was sitting there, just waiting for him to grab it. And so he did. He took the egg in his hands, and felt it tremble. "I cannot express my emotions at this moment" He said quietly, then walked to the human who was presiding over the events. "You are the eighth rider," The man said with a smile. "She and you will make a good team" _

_Draenei could barely believe it. He sat in the main part of the tent with the other riders-to-be until the human decided it was time to talk to them. Then, the human uncovered a giant sapphire-blue gemstone, more magnificent than any Draenei had ever seen before. The gem seemed to contain the mind of a dragon from the ancient times, and Draenei listened patiently as she talked. When they were allowed to go into the small sections of the tent, Draenei chose one and stepped in with the egg in his arms. He waited for maybe ten minutes, then the egg began to crack. Soon afterwards, it hatched, revealing a stunning hatchling with scales of burnt orange, with amber scale tips and edges. _

_Draenei smiled and finally accepted the challenge of the role of dragon rider by placing his hand on the dragon's head._

* * *

_**Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!**_

_**A/N: I would also like to ask you to, if you want, help me complete my dragon and rider sheet on chapter 2. It would be much appreciated!**_


	12. Chapter 10, Jokester

Chapter Ten, Jokester

* * *

Leo walked around the small section of the tent, pacing over each dimension. He was not walking impatiently, however. He was measuring the size of the tent. Giving a run start, he practically ran up the vertical pole and touched his foot to the tent roof. He flipped around and twisted, then landed gracefully on his feet. He looked over at the object in the middle of the room. The egg. It was so incredible. Leo walk over to the Brown orb. He touched it, tracing the faint lines where it had cracked. It reminded him of the cracks in grandfather's skin. The old dwarf had been one of Leo's best friends as a child.

_Flashback:_

_The old Knurlan held his grandson in his arms. The shriveled little creature giggled and burped. "What is his name, Daughter of mine?" he asked the Knurlii standing nearby._

_She looked at her son with admiration. "Leo. After his father"_

_"His father?!" The Knurlan said indignantly, "Catina! That scum-bag deserted you!"_

_Catina scowled at her father. "He did not. He was murdered by an Urgal! There was sufficient evidence of the murder, and I believe it!"_

_The old Knurlan humphed, but let it go. "So that's it? Just Leo? No naming him after his dear old grandfather?"_

_Catina smiled, amused. "Sorry father, he is Leo, and nothing else. I want his life to be simple and un-confusing." She reached over and picked up her son._

_"What does his name have to do with that?" The grandfather asked, reluctantly giving up the child._

_"Well, with your name being Orikundavarfrior..."_

_"Which is why they call me Orik," He replied with a smile._

_"Yes, but Leo is a nicer name, and I want him to fit in"_

_"Fit in? He'll fit in fine here with that name!"_

_"I'm going to live in the human Capital, father."_

_"What?! You cannot... You would not..."_

_"I can, and I will," She replied. "I want my son to experience many cultures, and he cannot do that if he is cooped up in the mountain!"_

_"But the human capital!"_

_"It is happening, father. I have a job as a maid for a rich dwarf lady living there, and will be safe enough"_

_End Flashback:_

Leo's mother had told him this tale many times, of how she convinced her father that going to the human city was for the best. Leo had visited the dwarf mountain a few times over his life, to visit grandfather, who refused to come to visit Leo and his mother in Illyria. Illyria. The city of shining white spires, where dragons once roamed. Not anymore though. Mother had told him about that. There was some sort of dragon plague, killing all the dragons. The riders died too, because their minds were so tightly connected they couldn't live without their dragons. Leo put the egg back down and did another flip, and twisted in the air. It had taken him months to perfect the move. And when he had auditioned before the master of the traveling entertainment troupe, he had used that move...

_Flashback:_

_Sakai smiled as the young dwarf finished his acrobatic routine. He would be a good addition to the jester troupe of his circus._

_"And I can juggle too," Leo said, picking up three beanbags and juggling them._

_The man chuckled. "Yes, it seems you can," He replied. He had lost one of his jester troupe to sickness a few months ago, and the group was incomplete as a group of two. So he needed a replacement. That was what the dwarf boy was here for. The only non-human to apply. It was odd, but the man found oddities charming, amusing, and most of all, interesting. especially for a traveling entertainment group. "That is enough, child. I have seen your talent. You will know in a week whether you have acquired the position"_

_"Thank you, Sir" Leo said with a bow. He politely left the room, then ran home. "Mother! I may have gotten the job! He liked my routine!"_

_Leo's mother looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. He had grown up so much in the past twelve years. "You are still obsessed with that job...?" she said tiredly._

_"It's not an obsession! I'm genuinely interested in being a acrobat. And it is a good interest! I will work, and you can travel with us! A nomadic lifestyle will be much better than living in this sinkhole."_

_"This 'sinkhole,' as you call it, has been our house for twelve years, son."_

_"Exactly! It has been our house! Not our home. Home is where the heart is, according to Miss Pennywide, and my heart is with the traveling entertainers!"_

_"Pennywide? Who is that?"_

_"The lady who does Madame Libo's laundry."_

_"Oh, yes. I remember her" His mother said. Then she looked at her son once more. "Are you absolutely sure about this, son?"_

_"Yes!"_

_End Flashback:_

Leo landed perfectly. As always. He had gotten the job, but his mother had refused to go with him. He had had to chose between his mother and his passion. It had been hard, but he had to join the circus. It was the right thing, he reasoned. He could send home all his paychecks. So he had joined the circus, and left home.

Leo plucked three balls out of his pack and juggled them. The balls twirled round and round. They reminded him of the Great Bronco, juggler extraordinaire. Bronco had been one of three acrobats in the troupe, Leo being the second and Janina being the third. When he had first joined, Bronco and Janina had swung on the high swings and tossed him between them, but as Leo got stronger, Janina and him switched places. He remembered the first day they switched the routine publicly. He had just turned fourteen...

_Flashback:_

_Leo stood backstage, palms sweaty. Beads of sweat were washing away the chalk powder he has brushed onto his hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure about this, Leo? You don't have to do it today," Janina said softly._

_"No," Leo said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm gonna do this. We've practiced hundreds of times, on the low and high swings"_

_"Okay. Don't forget to reapply your chalk when you get to the top," Janina said, her light accent bleeding into her words. Janina was from the wandering desert tribes, her skin as black a the beautiful ebony carvings she always kept in her tent. The troupe-master said her name, and Joanna ran into the arena, smiling. She climbed swiftly up the poles and grabbed the first swing. She swung nimbly, then Bronco entered. He joined her, and they flipped and twisted in complex maneuvers. Then it was Leo's turn. He heard his name, "Leo! The one and only, Acrobatic Knurlan" again, he said it wrong, but Leo had no time to think about that. He ran onto the stage, and the show began._

_... Later ..._

_Leo laughed with relief as he washed up. The show had been a total success, and Janina and Bronco said he was brilliant. He walked back into the meeting tent, and lay, relieved, on the ground._

_"Hey! Leo! Great job!" A middle aged man said. The animal handler._

_Leo sat up. "Thank you, Riko. It wasn't all me though. Janina and Bronco had a lot to do with my success. You could say it was a three man job, except with one man, one woman, and a Knurlan, which would make it not quite a three Man job, but it's close enough, don't you think?"_

_Riko laughed. "You are entertaining, young man. Very funny." Then he left._

_End flashback:_

Leo's concentration was lost, and he dropped the juggling balls. He sighed and packed them back in the bag, pulling out a small bag of dried meat. His dragon would be hungry when it hatched, so he wanted to have something to feed it. Digging a bit further into the pack, he pulled out a small wooden box. Inside the box was a photograph of his Mother. His mother.

_Flashback:_

_Leo was speechless. He had lost the ability to think coherently. "My mother?" He asked, horrified. "Are...? Are you...? You're lying! She... She can't be... Be... Dead!" Leo struggled immensely with the fact that his mother had died. His mother. Dead. Dead and gone. Forever. For the first time in two years, Leo cried. He cried long and hard, weeping for the loss of the woman who had loved him, raised him, given birth to him... His mother. When the tears stopped, Leo went to the circus manager, a fat man called Sakai. "Sir?" Leo asked._

_Sakai turned to look at him, looking up from the letter he was writing. He laid down his quill. "Leo, how many times have I told you? Just call me Sakai, son"_

_Leo swallowed. "Sir, I am sorry for this, but I must, regretfully, post my resignation. My mother has died, and there are many things I have to take care of. I'm sorry"_

_Sakai looked into Leo's eyes. "Your mother is dead?" he asked quietly, sensing the sadness in the boy's posturing._

_"Yes, Sir," Leo answered._

_"Then it is I who is sorry, Leo. Sorry that you must go through this at such a young age. Fifteen" He sighed and pulled out a piece of parchment from a large case. "Here is the contract you signed at the beginning." He turned at around. "Here is the ending contract. Would you like to read it?"_

_Leo nodded and took the parchment, reading the words carefully. It seemed to all match out. He signed on the line. "I'll miss the circus, Sakai," Leo said with a sad smile, and went to pack his things._

_End Flashback:_

Four weeks later, Leo had heard of the Hatching, and went to honor his mother's memory. An egg had chosen him, and he had accepted the challenge. After all, how better to honour his mother, than on a dragon's back. She had always dreamed of flying, and Leo wanted to give her that, even though it was after her death. He looked at the picture again, smiling, then stuffed it into his pocket as he heard a crack. He turned to the brown egg and picked it up, curious. If he listened carefully, he could hear other cracks going on at the same time. Holding the egg carefully, he sat down, laying it in front of him. When that head popped out and those big brown eyes looked up at him, he sighed with happiness. He moved his hand to pet the hatchling, and nearly screamed from the pain. But before he could act, he lost consciousness.


	13. Chapter 11, Lightning Mists

Chapter 11, Lightning Mists

**Thanks for waiting so long. I'm sorry for making you wait so long, and also for the shortness of this chapter. I lost my drive to write, and have been struggling to come up with an inspiration. Because of the shortness of this chapter, I am going to post the next chapter as well. Also short, but combined, they make up for their shortness. :P**

Kveykva Datia held the trembling turquoise egg in his arms, staring at it. "I am going to be a rider..." he muttered. "a /rider/..." He looked up, and began walking, almost in a daze, to the man and his wheelbarrow. This had to be the happiest day of his life. One of the first, and only, things he had ever been able to focus on for a lo g time were the stories of the riders, the First Order, with Vrael and the other greats, then stories of Galbatorix and Eragon Shadeslayer, and the Second Order, headed by the Shadeslayers, Green and Blue riders Arya and Eragon, and by the Red Rider, Murtagh. He was captivated by their incredible tales, and made drawings of what he imagined their adventures to look like, right before deciding to learn pottery, and after a few months, abandoning that and learning how to sing trees into cool shapes. But, no matter what project he got distracted by, Kveykva always returned to his drawings within a day. He...

He was snapped out of his thoughts by another shudder in the egg, and the voice of a man. "What is your name?"

"Kveykva Datia" He answered truthfully.

"Welcome, Kveykva, to the ranks of the riders" The man said.

"You are a rider? I thought they all died a hundred years ago?"

"They did. I am not a rider myself. I speak for a dragon, the dragon of the founder of the Second Order."

"Estella? So it is true, the tales? The Dragons live on, in some mode other than their physical bodies?"

The man narrowed his eyes, then looked pensive. "You will see in time"

Kveykva nodded. "Where do I go with this egg?"

"The tent, right there" the man said, pointing. Kveykva nodded and entered the tent, seeing a bunch of other people sitting around the floor, eggs of various sizes and colours in their arms. He looked at them, and silently sat on the dirt floor. The assembled reminded him of all the endless debates he had been forced to attend as a grandson of the Elf Queen's mother's sister. His mother was the cousin of the Elven Queen, and if the queen and king did not have any children, he was next in line to be considered for the position, when the Queen died.

_Flashback..._

_Kveykva sat near the Queen as the talks went on and sighed audibly. It was so aggravating. Finally, his patience wore thin and he stood up. "Sorry. I've got things to do," He said, in a voice that did not sound sorry at all._

_Walking out of the meeting, he sighed with relief. "That's over with. Now, time to get back to- ooh, shiny!" He was distracted by a falling object that was, as described, Shiny. Very shiny. He liked shi- No! Stop it! You are far too easily distracted, Kveykva!_

_The elf shook his head, annoyed by his own distractedness. He turned and walked briskly to the edge of a nearby cliff, then walked slowly along the edge to the staircase that was built into the rock-face. He walked to the bottom, then ran exactly twenty meters left along the bottom of the cliff. Once there, he glanced around, then shifted a large rock. He pulled a candle from his pocket and lit it with a murmur. He climbed down into the tunnel, and pulled the rock back into its place..._

_End flashback:_

'My secret hiding place,' Kveykva thought wistfully. 'I may never be able to go there again'

He had spent hours in there, with nearly a hundred unfinished projects at a time. He usually finished the projects within a year, unless they lost all interest to him. The one project he excelled at was not even in the cave. It was at the home of another elf. Rhunön. She, the elven smith who had made the sword of the great Eragon Shadeslayer Bromson, who had made the swords of all riders before that. She had made an oath that she would never make another rider's sword, but she did teach Kveykva. She taught him with ordinary steel, then finally, he was allowed to make a sword with a tainted sample of Brightsteel.

_Flashback:_

_Kveykva watched over his teacher's shoulder as she examined the small sword. It was so small it would more accurately be called a dagger, but it was made to the scale of a normal sword. "So?" He asked, excited._

_Rhunön looked up at him and gave a small smile. "You have done well. You have proven me wrong, you are able to stick with something if you keep your mind to it." She handed him the miniature sword. "Guard it well, Kveykva Finiarel. It may prove to be useful on your journeys."_

_Kveykva looked at her with a question in his eyes. "What do you mean, my journeys?_

_"You will see, child. You will see soon enough" Rhunön said with a knowing smile, "Now leave me. I would like to be alone"_

_Rhunön turned to watch the elf leave. He was full of promise. "You will see," She muttered as he turned the corner, "Rider" For she had seen, though he had not, the thin line of turquoise along the edge of the sword. The line which had not been there moments before when she had been holding it, but as soon as his fingers touched the blade, that line had appeared. She hoped he would be a good rider..._

_End flashback:_

Kveykva, with no knowledge of Rhunön's thoughts, pulled out the dagger-sized sword, examining it. He hadn't used it much, just kept it hidden in the small scabbard he had made for it. He now extracted it from the leather sheath, and nearly dropped it with shock. The steel looked like it was moving, a turquoise tint playing along the surface like sunlight. He touched the sword, and found that it was warm to the touch. "Vrangr-welden" He muttered. The colour flashed, then on the side of the blade, in Liduen-Kvaedhi, the words were inscribed. His eyes widened. The wandering forest. His dagger-sword now had a name. It was a rider's blade. He inhaled sharply. Perhaps he was meant to take over from Rhunön. He still remembered the day she died...

_Flashback:_

_"What?" Kveykva asked, confused. "What?!"_

_"Rhunön has passed away" The other elf replied._

_"No. No. It is Impossible!" Kveykva stammered, unbelieving. He pushed past the other elf and ran to the smith's home. He burst into the yard to see a few elves singing, weaving the elf into her home._

_"Wait! Please, let me see her!" He cried._

_The elves stopped their singing and stepped away. Kveykva knelt by the bed, touching on Rhunön's cold hands. "You will be remembered, Rhunön. Should the riders rise once more, I promise to continue your tradition, and create for them the swords which you taught me to make. Thank you for your faith in me, for believing that I had promise. I am, and will forever be, grateful to you" He stood, tears in his eyes, and sang. He heard the other elves begin to sing with him, and watched as the bark of the tree closed around Rhunön's body, and lastly her face. When the song was finished, he broke away from the group and ran to his cave. Pulling the dagger and sheath out of a drawer, he attached it to his belt and grabbed a sack. He would find more Brightsteel. There had to be some somewhere!_

_End flashback:_

Kveykva was drawn back into the present by the man, Herg, entering the tent. He talked for a while, then sent the riders-to-be to their sections of the tent. As Kveykva waited in his tent, watching the egg, he was drawn back into his memories. He had searched Du Weldenvarden extensively, and had eventually found enough Brightsteel to make at least twenty rider swords, and a bit more as well.

Suddenly, he heard another crack. The egg. He held it in his lap, and touched the tiny head that peeked out. With a cry of pain, he lost consciousness.


	14. Chapter 12, Child of a Liar

Chapter 12, Child of a Liar

"Welcome!" A voice called, and a young boy looked up with a start.

"Papa?" The child muttered quietly, looking around the crowd. He knew that voice, though he hadn't heard it in three months. he could clearly remember that day.

_Flashback:_

_"Papa!" The boy cried out desperately. "No!" He struggled, but the soldiers were too strong._

_His father began to call to him in the elven language._

_"Eitha, my son! Hlaupa! Ono vanta eom stydja unin du sundavari! Sja wiol du varden! Thorna wilae skölir ono! Waise ramr! Stydja hljödhr, orono ono sé deyja! Lífa, iet hjarta! Gánga!"_

_He was telling Jed to go. To hide. To find friends. "No! Papa!" Jed cried out, struggling against the soldier._

_"Gánga!" Papa yelled, as the other soldier pulled him away._

_Jed fought off the tears and broke free of the soldiers grip by collapsing. The soldier let go of him in surprise, and the child slipped free, filing into a nearby valley. The Varden. He had met the organization a few times. A group of men and women independent of any government, they had sprung up not long after the great dragon plague, in order to preserve the histories and writings of the riders, along with all their belongings and homes. They had a collection of many pieces of gear, along with a few other secrets. The group, named after the ancient Varden who hid in the bowels of the Beor mountains, were hidden deep within the Hadarac desert, a place no-one (human, dwarf, elf, Urgal or otherwise) would enter without good reason. Or without a good grasp of navigation by the stars. Otherwise, they would become dreadfully lost, and would probably die. But Jeod, for all his six years, did know how to navigate by the sun and stars. So he went to The Varden._

_End Flashback:_

His deep blue eyes scanned the crowds, but he could not see his father. He looked back as the light green egg on the table, then grabbed it. Immediately, there was an audible crack, and the six year old's mouth opened in shock. "The egg!" He muttered quietly, and wandered around, egg in arms. One Urgal tried to take it away, but he said, "Mine! It cracked!" The Urgal then grabbed the egg, putting it under one arm, then picked up the young boy and carried him to one side of the arena. There, young Jeod got the surprise of his life. "Papa...?"

"Jeod?" his father stared at him, incredulous. "Why are you here? How did you get here?"

"I got a Dwagon, Papa" Jeod said, lifting the egg.

Jeod's father looked at the light green egg. "You do." His voice conveyed that he could barely believe his eyes.

Jeod looked at his father. "Can I go in da tent, Papa? Wike de oder widers?"

"You want to go in the tent like the other riders?" Herg asked, "You don't want to stay out here with me?"

"I wanna meet dem, Papa," The little boy said excitedly. "Pwease, can I, Papa?"

"Of course. You go right in there, son"

Herg watched the boy go, then turned as, already, the next rider appeared.

Jeod stepped into the tent and looked around. Unfortunately, all the riders-to-be were busy, watching the eggs they were holding in their laps. "Hewwo?" He asked in Common, and got no answer. The humans were all distracted. He tried Dwarvish and the Urgal tongue next, but still no reaction. The Ancient language got him a few looks, but nothing else. He sighed, and sat down. No one ever paid attention to him. That was why he was such a good spy and thief. He remembered many times when his father had gotten him to steal things for him.

_Flashback:_

_"See that chicken, son?"_

_The little boy nodded._

_"I am going to distract the owner, and you are going to take it. You can hold a chicken and run, right?"_

_Jeod nodded again. He walked through the market crowd, a mere three years old, and grabbed the live bird. It was so stupid, it didn't even notice. He began to walk away with it, and he heard a scuffle behind him. That would be his father. He began to run, weaving around the many legs of the people, and ducking finally into the alley his father and him always met at. He sat and held the chicken, patting it kindly. He wished he could set it free, but he and his father needed to eat. Maybe the next chicken._

_End Flashback:_

Hopefully, those days are over, Jeod thought with a sigh.

A human girl with a Sapphire-Blue egg stepped into the tent, followed by Jeod's father, who talked for a while, then sent them all into separate sections of the tent to wait for their dragons to hatch.

Jeod sat on the dirt floor of the tent with the egg in his lap. he wriggles with excitement, barely able to contain himself. Over time, his excitement faded, and he was left with boredom. He began to doze off. Suddenly, he heard another crack, and the baby dragon began to hatch. He smiled, and touched the head of the hatchling, crying out in pain as he did so. It hurt, and Jeod lost consciousness.

**Again, thanks for the patience.**


	15. Chapter 13, Abused

_**Happy Easter/April Fools Day/Passover to you all! Yay, I'm back on schedule, and have regained my ability to write well. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter, which is longer than last time. Again, I'd like to thank everybody who has Favorited or Followed this story, and those of you who have Reviewed. It really brightens my day when I get a review, and I'm sure the same is true for other Fan-Fiction Authors.**_

* * *

Chapter 13, Abused

**...Six months ago...**

"... No... Please..." Kalari heard the other girl moan in her sleep as she tossed and turned. Gently, she reached over to touch the sleeping figure, but Moraina flinched back as though Kalari had slapped her. The young Urgal was awake now.

"Rain? Are you ok?"

Moraina had a haunted look in her eyes, as though he had seen a ghost.

"Another nightmare, Eh?" Kalari said gently, reaching over and running her hands through the short hair of the younger girl to comfort her. Moraina nodded mutely. She never said much.

Kalari smiled. "It's over now, Rain. It's all over. You're safe here, and they aren't going to get you again. You don't have to worry"

Moraina closed her eyes and nodded, then lay back down on the floor. Kalari smiled sadly, feeling sorry for her Urgal friend. She lay down herself, and slept.

Moraina stayed awake for a long time. She was always afraid to sleep, for every time she did, the men returned. The nightmares returned. But eventually, all must sleep.

...Fourteen years earlier...

"What are we supposed to with 'er?" Torgam asked Horbern, the leader of the Urgal gang. He was speaking of the five year old girl-child who had shown up recently.

"We take care of 'er, o' course" Horbern smirked, polishing his horns.

"In the usual way?" Torgam asked with a malicious grin.

"And she's so young, we can teach her that it is usual to do what we do." The larger Urgal nodded, looking over to the tiny Urgal-child, huddling in a corner.

**...Present...**

Moraina shivered as multiple bodies jostled against hers. She looked around, nervous as a fugitive. She noticed another Urgal, and her resolve shattered. She ducked and dodged, and hid under a table. There, she saw, of all things, an egg. It was beautiful. It was smaller than she had expected an egg to be, as big as two fists, instead of being the full length of the elbow to wrist. She could probably hold it in her single useful hand, if she tried. Other than the small size, the egg was pink. A soft pink, like a sunrise, with beautiful rings of gold encircling it all round. It was one of the first truly beautiful things Moraina had seen in her nineteen years. She reached over to touch it, but hesitated. What if it did hatch? How could she be a rider? She had no worth, no significance. A person like that could never be be a rider. Why even try? But... Kalari had said differently. She said Moraina was important, just for being herself. It boggled Moraina, having gotten one message all her life, and a different message for the past year. She had been abused so long and so badly as a child, and told that she was useless, worthless, that she didn't matter. She remembered the day she had learned that there was a world outside the Gang-Den.

_**Flashback...**_

_"What's back there, Horbern?" A voice broke the silence that Moraina had come to love. In the silence there were no beatings, no abuse, no drunken breaths. But this was a different voice, the likes of which she had never heard. It was light and airy, instead of the gruff voices of the gang members. She looked up._

_"There's nothing back there, Kargla." The deep voice of the gang-leader responded._

_Moraina rolled over and began crawling towards the doorway. Even though she could stand and walk, it hurt less to crawl._

_"Then it's fine if I look" The soft voice, the stranger, responded._

_There was the sound of a slight struggle, then Moraina stuck her head around the cloth that covered the doorway. Who she saw shocked her more than seeing her shocked the other. There was a lady Urgal, someone like her._

_Horbern snarled at her, and Moraina quickly ducked back into the room. She heard snippets of the conversation._

_"... You have a girl?! ..." "... Years ago..." "... How old?" "... thirteen maybe? Fourteen?..." "... Take her..." "... Retarded ... Cant function ... Society..." "... Abuse her!?..." "Well..." The sound of a slap. "... GOT to be kidding me! ..." "... Not leaving!..."_

_Leave...? She could leave? There was a world outside here? There had to be. And this lady, Kargla, didn't seem like her. Maybe, out there, girls didn't get abused? Moraina peeked her head out of the room again, and made eye contact with the adult female Urgal, Horbern having left the room in his anger. Kargla smiled at her, and Moraina tried to copy the action, sensing friendliness. Kargla's smile faded, and turned to a look of compassion. Moraina crawled further out of her room, then sat back, settling on her legs. She tilted her head._

_**PoV change:**_

_Kargla stepped forward slightly and knelt before the young Urgal child. "Hello, young one"_

_The little girl tilted her head the other way._

_Kargla frowned slightly. "Do you understand me, darling?"_

_The girl nodded quickly. She could._

_"You're pretty smart, aren't you" Kargla said softly, and the girl looked at her feet, to shy to answer._

_"Horbern tells you you're worthless, doesn't he?_

_Kargla felt a twinge of compassion as the child paused, then nodded slowly. "Don't believe him, girl. Remember, you are clever. And smart. How else could you understand my words if you were raised with barely a word of civility spoken around you?"_

_Kargla looked up suddenly, hearing footsteps. The child panicked, and scurried back into her room. Kargla looked at the doorway. "What a terrible life for a child..." She muttered as she stood, ready for Horbern's return._

_He stormed in, one cheek still slightly red from her slap. Roughly, he grabbed her arm. "Out" He whispered coarsely, half pulling, half pushing her out of the room._

_"Why do you keep that girl?" Kargla said angrily, "Why not just kill her and put her out of her misery?"_

_"She's valu'ble, tha's why," Horbern said, a nasty smile on his face, showing his yellowed teeth._

_Kargla's eyes widened in horror. "You have GOT to be kidding me! That young?! You'll kill her!"_

_"Been doin' it fer seven years," He said, his thick accent turning half the words into growls. He turned on Kargla, "Don' think I've forgotten about you. Yer lucky you didn' slap me in front o' the others, then you'd be dead b' now"_

_Kargla swallowed nervously._

_"But, you didn't. So you aren't. But dont lean on my grace again. Get out of here, Kargla, and never return"_

_**PoV change:**_

_Moraina heard snippets of the conversation from her hiding place in the corner of the other room, and then Horbern pulled the curtain to the side and stepped into her room. Moraina flinched reflexively as he moved to slap her face, but he didn't. He grabbed her by the collar. This was never good. Taking her to a certain spot near the middle of the room, he hung her up by her hands, and used her as a human punching bag. Moraina didn't resist or cry out, no matter how much it hurt. The more she complained, the worse the beating was. She had learned that early on._

_**End Flashback:**_

Moraina had tried to escape the next day, but failed miserably. She got to the fourth room, and was caught. She spent the next four years chained to a loop in the wall by her left hand. She had tried to escape by dislocating the thumb, but had not gotten much further than the last time. To make it worse, she had been hung up for beating right after her thumb had been dislocated, nearly tearing the joint away from her hand. She hadn't tried to escape after then, since she was once again chained by her left hand, and every tiny movement of the chain brought her immense pain for more than half a year. By the time she was healed enough to not have pain in her hand, her spirit had died. she never tried to escape again. Moraina reached out again and lightly touched the egg, almost afraid to. The egg was so soft! She let her hand move across the smooth surface, feeling no blemishes or bumps. It had almost a velvety texture! She pulled it towards her and tried to pick it up, but was very careful, trying not to hurt it. If it was possible to hurt an egg. Still, she was wary, almost automatically so. She guessed it stemmed from the long months of recuperation, times of inactivity and gentleness. She had been treated so kindly this past year... Ever since she had been rescued.

_**Flashback...**_

_Moraina woke blearily, yawning. What was that odd sound? There was a banging, and lots of footsteps. Too many footsteps. Then something with a sword charged into her room. It spoke in a foreign tongue, and more of its kind entered._

_One was different, more delicate, with longer hair. It spoke to Moraina, in the Urgal language. "Are you alright?" It asked, "I am Kalari, we are here to help you. Do you understand?"_

_Moraina, properly confused, nodded slowly._

_The creature, the one which called itself "Kalari," spoke again. "Now, I'm going to free your wrist, alright? Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you" It took a key and unlocked the manacle. Then, it gently opened the metal clamp, freeing Moraina's hand._

_Moraina pulled her arm towards herself and cradled the hand, thumbless and useless as it was._

_The creature which spoke in her language, which called itself "Kalari," Spoke again. "We will take you to safety. Don't worry. The Gang is disbanded. Horbern is dead"_

_Moraina looked up, shocked. It was then she spoke the first word she had ever spoken in the presence of another. "Dead?" Her voice was rough and unpracticed, but she managed that word._

_The creature nodded. It looked like an Urgal, but was frailer. It was missing its horns, and had almost no hair, except for that which was on its head._

_Moraina looked at her hand, and with her eyes followed the scratches and bruises up her arm. With a mournful look in her eyes, she asked quietly, "What took so long?"_

_She looked up at the creatures. "Please, come with us," It seemed to be honest, "We won't hurt you. We're here to help." It held out a hand._

_Timidly and reluctantly, Moraina reached her right hand over and placed it in that of the creature, which smiled._

_"You've never seen anything like us have you?" It asked. Seeing Moraina's slight shake of head, it continued, "I am a Human, a female"_

_A human? Moraina had heard passing comments about them once or twice. They were the rulers in the kingdom, or rather the symbolic leaders. She looked up at the lady and said, "Human? Are Humans like Urgals?"_

_"We have things that are the same, but we also have differences," Kalari said, then turned to Moraina. "It is about to become much, much brighter, so if you want to cover your eyes, now it the time"_

_Moraina nodded, and shielded her eyes. Suddenly, the area became much brighter as a door was opened. Moraina turned away, crying in shock and pain..._

_**End flashback...**_

Moraina was jolted out of her memories by a sound. A crack. She looked down with shock at the egg. "No, no, no, no, no!" She whispered frantically, pushing it away, but it was too late. Another sound came from the egg, and even worse, an elven female had heard the crack. She poked her head under the table and smiled at Moraina, speaking in a foreign language. Yet, Moraina got the impression that the elf was excited. Another rider, what excitement. Except, not for the rider. Moraina sighed, and allowed herself to be led to the tents. All those people. Already eleven, and more on their way. It reminded her of the first time she had ever met a dwarf. It had been seven months since Kalari had rescued her, and the human stayed by her at all moments, reassuring her that Horbern was dead, and that she was safe, reminding her every time she had a nightmare, which was quite often, that it was all over. Moraina had been without a nightmare for an entire week, and was beginning to be more open with the men and women in the army barracks where they lived, and Kalari decided that it was time that Moraina meet more people. Moraina had shown an interest in the Dwarven people, so they left the barracks and ventured into the city...

_**Flashback...**_

_In the hot summer sun, It was sweltering, but Moraina wore a cloak and hood, hiding herself from the world outside. She still wasn't ready for people._

_Kalari led her through the city, and to an intricately carved door. "This is a worship place for Dwarves, so don't make too much noise," Kalari said, then pushed the door open, allowing Moraina to pass before her into the room beyond. What she saw shocked Moraina to the core. A beautiful room, decorated with gold and silver, and ivory carvings that were so beautiful... Moraina spun slowly in a circle, taking in the beauty. She threw off her hood to get a better look, and that's when she heard it. An audible gasp. She turned, and saw a short little man, a Dwarf, looking up at her, especially her horns. She jolted back, hiding behind Kalari. The human spoke quietly to the Dwarf, and he relaxed visibly. He turned to Moraina. "I apologize for being rude. We rarely get Urgal visitors who do not wish to ridicule us" He said in a quiet voice. "Welcome, young one" ..._

_**End flashback...**_

Moraina sighed, glad that the "group time" was finally over. She was alone. If you could call being in a section of a tent with the sounds of others all around and with an egg on a pile of cloth to the side alone, then yes, she was alone. She sighed, and stared at the egg. After about half a minute, it started. The patterns on the egg started shifting around, making different patterns. Then the room started spinning, and all the colour drained out of it, as if water draining through a hole in the bottom of a barrel. It all drained away, except for the egg. That pink egg. Suddenly, the real hallucinations started. The egg exploded, revealing Horbern inside, with fangs and wings of a dragon. He came towards her, trying to scare her. But in her phased state of mind, she wasn't afraid of Horbern. She stood up to him, and every time she did, he got weaker. For every hallucination that passed, she went longer without a nightmare. Suddenly, something happened in the real world to hold her out of her haze. A crack. The egg. She reached forward and again placed it in her lap, lightly brushing her fingertips over the surface of it. Suddenly, a thousand fissures appeared and expanded over the surface of the egg, then the top shattered, raining egg-dust on the pink infant within. It sneezed violently, and Moraina smiled. With her good right hand, she touched the dragon. What happened, she didn't expect. She had no time to react, because in a mere second, a powerful, painful jolt of magical energy entered her body, and she lost consciousness.


	16. Chapter 14, Wolfstone

Chapter 14, Wolfstone

Zimrazá stared at the white egg on the ground in front of her. "So, I'm to be a rider..." she said, almost unable to believe it. She turned around and walked around the tent, then returned to the egg. Bending down, she touched it. It was exciting. She was going to be a rider. She could barely believe it. A rider. And this white egg, this was not only A dragon, but it was HER dragon! She laughed. It was so incredible. She straightened out and walked around the room again. What would she tell Aunt Carla? Would she be able to see her Aunt again? The Aunt who had become such a mother to her in the past six years, ever since- but no. She didn't want to think about that. But how could she not? A thing like the death of your own father... It was something that defined her just as much as her height did. It made her who she was. She was a dwarvess, and she was an orphan. It was as simple as that.

_Flashback..._

_A five year old Knurlii played in the dirt outside her home. Hearing her name, she turned her head to see her father, a brown haired Knurlan with a thick beard, standing there. _

_"Papa!" she cried happily, and ran unsteadily to him. Her father picked her up and swung her around, then pulled her close to him in a fond hug. He cherished these daily greetings._

_"Hello, my little Munchkin," He said fondly, putting her down. "How was your day?"_

_The little child giggled and began to tell her father everything she had done that day. A Knurlii stepped out of their small home, and the girl stopped talking to laugh and grimace playfully as her father walked over to the lady and kissed her fondly. Her father and mother. She giggled, then ran to hug them both. _

_The mother lifted the girl and kissed her nose. "Hello, Munchkin," She said, smiling at her child. She looked over at her husband and smiled. The best day ever. _

_..._

_As Zimrazá finished her tale, a tear was falling down her cheek. _

_"When did this happen?" Her aunt asked. _

_Zimrazá shrugged. "Basically every day since I can remember. When I got older, I would get home from school, fly through my homework, then sit, looking out the front window until I saw Papa walking down the road. Then I'd run to meet him, and he'd be happy to meet me. Then Mama would step out the door, wearing her apron and covered in stone dust, and he would gather her in his strong arms and kiss her. Once, I lost track of time while I was doing homework, and the look on Papa's face when he stepped in the door... It was heartbreaking. He thought I didn't want to greet him. As soon as I explained, he was fine, but I never wanted him to feel that way again. Then, last month, he didn't come home. Then Uncle Rudy showed up"_

_Zimrazá's Aunt interrupted her ten-year-old niece. "If you don't want to say anymore, you don't have to"_

_Zimrazá smiled. "Thank you, Auntie" _

_End flashback..._

Zimrazá felt wetness building in her eye. She was going to cry. She screwed her eyes shut. No. She would not cry. She had promised. She sighed, wiping her eyes. She missed her papa. She remembered the day he had died with stunning clarity.

_Flashback:_

_The ten year old Knurlii hurried to get her schoolwork done, and when she was finished the last history question - in which year of King Tengar's reign did he build the great White Palace? (The 23rd year) - she ran to the front window and waited. And waited. And waited. Until she was sure Papa should be there by now. She ran out the front doorway, looking for her father. She looked up the road. She ran up the road a few steps. "Papa!?" She called, confused, then began walking further up the road. She sped up, running all the way to her father's Butcher Shop. there were a bunch of guards there, and a couple law-enforcers. She ran forward, but was held back. "Papa? Where's my Papa? Why are you at his shop?" _

_A look of sympathy filled the faces of the men. One put his hand on Zimrazá's shoulder. "Your Papa? Is he the owner of this shop?" _

_Zimrazá nodded, confused. "But-"_

_He interrupted. "Where is your Mother?"_

_"Mama's back home"_

_"You go home, alright," He said quietly, and tried to block the girl from seeing the body that some of the officers were carrying out of the shop, but she saw it. _

_"Papa?" She asked quietly, looking into the Officer's eyes._

_He nodded slowly. _

_Zimrazá swallowed. "What happened?"_

_"Go find your mother, child," He replied. _

_Zimrazá nodded dumbly, turned around, and ran home. _

_End Flashback..._

When Zimrazá had told Mama, she had run to the shop, leaving Zimrazá behind, telling her to stay. Zimrazá had obeyed, and she never saw her mother again.

What Zimrazá was told was that her mother had tried to get to her father, and when that didn't work, she had stolen a knife from the shop and stabbed herself in the gut. She had committed suicide in a few short minutes. Zimrazá never knew why she had done it, and to be honest, she didn't want to know why. Her father had been killed by an angry Urgal customer.

She had been taken care of by her Aunt from that day forth, and her aunt had been given an exceedingly hard task, of keeping the girl happy. It had taken a few years, but she had eventually succeeded, and Zim began to succeed in school again.

She knew she was crying now. She had to be. She pulled out Grim, her stone dagger, and flung it into a wooden post. She had made Grim more than a year ago, carving the intricate wolf head on the pommel with care and focus. It had been one of the things that helped her cope with the death of her parents. The blade lodged itself in the wood, and she grabbed it, trying to pull it out.

She groaned in frustration as the blade would not come out of the wood. Pulling it out with immense force, she flew backwards, landing beside the white egg. She sighed and rolled over, putting the dagger away. Rubbing the egg, she hoped it would hatch soon, and was surprised that a multitude of cracks suddenly formed, with a loud noise. She pulled it into her lap with wide eyes, and smiled as a hatchling crawled out. The hatchling was white, but when it turned its head to look at Zimrazá, she saw that each scale had a cream underside, which was revealed when moved. It spread its wings, cracking more of the egg. The wings were huge, much bigger than Zimrazá had thought they would be, and the hatchling had two adorable tusks at the front of its mouth. Zimrazá reached out to pat the hatchling, and was not prepared for the burst of what felt like static electricity that rushed through her as she touched its head. She cried out in pain as it traveled through her arm and spread through her body. Subconsciously, she heard a few other yelps, but her conscious mind didn't notice, as she was knocked out by the magic.


	17. Submit Your Own Dragon and Rider

**SYOD (Submit your own dragon)**

**A/N: All the dragons and riders have been completed. Thanks for all the help, and I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing. There is no actual chapter this week, due to sheer business and crazy life. Sorry to all the Followers I have out there that I have no update!**

**In addition, if you guys want me to, after I post the chapter for the 16th rider, I will re-post all the character sheets, so you can see them. Just Review or PM me, and depending on how many people want to see the sheets, I will either give them in a chapter or just PM them to people who want to see them.**

**Again, Many thanks**

**Heidioo =:)**


	18. Chapter 15, Squirt

**_A/N: I am SO SO sorry! Life recently has been super busy with two plays to act in and go to rehearsals for, plus four major projects in school, I've been so tired I had no inspiration for writing this story. I'll try to get back on track, but there might only be one or two more chapters before school starts again, since I'm working at camp this summer. Again, a thousand apologies._**

* * *

Chapter 15, Squirt

Amaleria was the daughter of a Knurlan. She was also a very young girl, not more than seven years old. She was very small. She had no skills, no special traits. She was just a normal, ordinary child. The only thing extraordinary about her was the face that her mother was a Widow. So, when she went to the shining silver city to see the Egg hatching, she was definitely not expecting to have a dragon hatch for her. That was surprise enough, but when she heard one of the elves talking about some sort of prophecy, that cut it for her. She stepped back, carrying the yellow egg with her, when an Urgal girl who was no older than she was stepped in, nearly bumping into her. /Alright,/ She told herself, /you are going to stay, and become friends with that Urgal girl./ That gave her the determination needed to stay. And so she did. But before she had the chance to introduce herself, another person came in. A human female with a blue egg. Then an older human male without an egg. He sent them all to different parts of the tent that were separated by cloth partitions. Amaleria went obediently into her part of the tent. She was a good, obedient child now, unlike when she was younger...

_Flashback..._

_"No!" A three year old Knurlii stood before her mother, arms crossed in defiance._

_Her mother was holding a bath towel and saying, "Now, Amaleria, you need to have a bath"_

_"No!" The child responded, stubborn as the rock she was supposedly hewn of._

_The mother sighed, and stepped forward. The child took a dozen steps back._

_Amaleria's mother looked up again, seeing the child's father on the other end of the hall, slowly stepping closer. He was past another door. The mother stepped forward again, and her child stepped back again. Suddenly, the world dropped out from under the child's feet as her father lifted her up._

_Understandably, Amaleria screamed in shock, until her father turned her around in his hands so he could look at her. "Look at you, Squirt!" He said with a joking tone, "You are covered in dirt, it's all over you!"_

_"Where?" Amaleria asked, crossing her arms._

_Her father sat on the floor, with her in his lap, and touched her nose. "Here," and her fingers, and her toes, and behind her ears, "Here," he poked her belly and tickled her under the chin. The little child giggled and squirmed, and her mother took her to her bath._

_End Flashback:_

Amaleria sighed and set the egg down, bracing herself for a long wait. She sat down on the floor and watched the egg. It was like when Papa had died. He had been a miner...

_Flashback..._

_Amaleria, now four, watched her mother as she puttered around the room. She was confused. What was happening? She had tried to talk to her mother, but mama was busy. So Amaleria sat in her chair all day. Later, she fell asleep, still in the chair. When she woke, her mother was sitting at the table, weeping, tying a cloth to the end of her smallest finger._

_"Mama?" She said quietly._

_The woman looked up to see her four-year-old child looking at her._

_"Mama, wha' happen?" The dwarf child asked softly._

_Her mother lifted her out of the chair. "Your Papa was hurt, and he's not coming home" She said._

_"Why mot, Mama?"_

_"Becase he was hurt really badly, dear. He went to be with Gûntera"_

_"Mama, wha' happ'n'd to your pinky?" Amaleria asked._

_Her mother glanced at the cloth. "It is something deep dwellers like ourselves do. When we are mourning, we cut off the end of our smallest finger," She explained quietly. "You will understand in time"_

_End Flashback..._

Amaleria had been confused, but Her mother had explained the entire situation carefully. Papa had been in a deep tunnel, so deep that it began to be warm in the rock, when one of the magic lights had been struck by a rock and exploded. One miner had survived the incident, but he died soon after. Ama had learned this a year later, after having lived in the city mountain for nearly eleven months. They had moved up to Farthen Dur soon after the accident, and lived there. Amaleria had met so many interesting people there! Humans of all colours and ages, ground-dweller dwarves, Urgals, Kull, and even a few elves on occasion! It was exciting for her to meet so many people, and the appearance of the sunlight streaming in through the opening at the top of the massive mountain was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She had learned many languages, and it had been exciting. When Ama had heard about the dragon hatching, her mother and her traveled with a large group of humans, Urgals, and dwarves, headed for Ilirea.

That is how Amaleria had ended up with this yellow egg. She looked at the egg thoughtfully, then smiled and moved closer to it. She picked the Dragon Egg up and placed it in her lap, her hands on the surface. She felt a tap on the egg, pushing up at her hand. A tap from the babe within. She smiled. It was hatching. She tapped back, and got a response. She tapped twice, and got two taps in return. She grinned. A few cracks appeared on the surface of the egg, and spread until it opened up. A small head stuck out of the opening, and Amaleria reached out to touch it. The last thing she saw before she passed out was two brilliant blue eyes on its butter yellow face.


End file.
